History of fostering
There is an interesting historical precedent for fostering in Ireland. From the earliest times fosterage has played an important part in Irish society. Instead of rearing sons and daughters at home, fathers often sent them to be brought up in the hearts of other families or sometimes, after the arrival of Christianity, with a priest or religious community in a monastery.
Formal rules laid down rigorous standards in the matter of fosterlings food, clothing and the subjects in which he was to be instructed. At the same time, close bonds of affection were forged between the foster father and his fosterling. These bonds often influenced allegiance in later life – even at political levels.
Fosterage usually lasted until a boy reached his maturity, when he could marry or decide to join a religious community as a novice. This was usually about his seventeenth year. A boy might be fostered without payment although a fee was often paid.
Under the old Irish code of law, there were two kinds of fostering:
for affection
for payment
There were three ways of ending a fostering relationship:
death
crime and
marriage or entry into a religious community
History Of Foster Care In The United States
as taken from the National Advocate
Some of the earliest documentation of children being cared for in foster homes can be found in the Old Testament and in the Talmud. These references establish caring for dependent children as a duty under law. Early Christian church records also show children were boarded with "worthy widows" who were paid by collections from the congregation.
It was the English Poor Law, however, that led to development and eventual regulation of family foster care in the United States. In 1562, these laws allowed the placement of poor children into indentured service until they came of age. This practice was imported to the United States and was the beginning of placing children into homes. Even though indentured service permitted abuse and exploitation, it was a step forward from alms houses where children did not learn a trade and were exposed to horrendous surroundings and unsavory adults. Various forms of indenturing children persisted into the first decade of this century.
In 1636, less than thirty years after the founding of the Jamestown Colony, at the age of seven, Benjamin Eaton became this nation's first foster child.